Donald McCaig, a New York Times–bestselling novelist, poet, and essayist, is the author of Nop's Trials, Nop's Hope, The Dog Wars, A Useful Dog (Virginia), Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men, Last Poems, and An American Homeplace (Virginia). A sheepdog trainer, he lives with his wife Anne and nine dogs on a farm in the western mountains of Virginia, USA.
Donald McCaig is quite simply a great writer in this field, and his
insight into animal and human nature is masterly.
Donald McCaig is the Mark Twain of dog writers.--Patricia B.
McConnell, author of The Other End of the Leash and For the Love of
a Dog
Funny, instructive, and delightful to read! A combination of
eloquent, touching, telling, and sometimes quirky observations. I
read the book in a single day, unable to stop except when my dog
needed to go for a walk.--Carol Lea Benjamin, author of Do Border
Collies Dream of Sheep? and Mother Knows Best
Happily, Mr. and Mrs. Dog is an exception to the 'heartbreak rule'
about animal books.... By my count, this former advertising
executive-turned-farmer has managed to bring out at least fifteen
books while somehow keeping sheep in western Virginia, training
dogs, and competing in far-flung sheepdog competitions.... Still,
there's more to Mr. and Mrs. Dog than just a series of qualifying
competitions in the United States, followed by our human-canine
trio's adventures in Wales. Throughout, McCaig intersperses
chapters on dog-training and on current, and competing, theories
about how this should be done.-- "Washington Post"
McCaig talks about his dogs in an amusing and affectionate way.
While the author mentions that Luke is not the best sheepdog, his
other attributes, such as being a good companion, make up for his
lack of skills. The author provides plenty of information about dog
habits and breeds, sheepdog competitions and coaching for them, as
well as tidbits regarding the joys of having a dog (or multiple).--
"Kirkus"
McCaig's wry, down-to-earth tone expresses a kind of clear-eyed
devotion. While he loves his dogs, readers will not find any
cloying or precious sentiments here, but rather an interesting
primer on dog training and sheepdog trials studded with shrewd
philosophical insights into humankind's relationship with our
oldest friend.An informative and thought-provoking memoir about a
trainer and his two border collies making their way to the world's
championship for sheepdogs.-- "Shelf Awareness"
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